Tool

CETES vs account vs inflation

The same money in three places for the same years: CETES, your bank account, and cash that just sits there. In pesos, and in what those pesos still buy.

In CETES you would end up with

$12,079

Amount (MXN) $10,000

Term (years) 3

CETES rate 6.50 %

Starts at Banxico's target rate, 6.50 %, verified by hand on Aug 3, 2026. CETES move close to it.

What your account pays 1.00 %

Look it up in your banking app. If you have no idea, leave it low.

Annual inflation 4 %

Banxico aims for 3 %, give or take a point.

What each option buys at the end

What you put in today$10,000

CETES$10,745

Your account$9,157

Cash under the mattress$8,890

—	In pesos	What it buys
CETES	$12,079	$10,745
Your account	$10,303	$9,157
Cash under the mattress	$10,000	$8,890

It is a tie: both leave you with practically the same purchasing power.

Reinvesting at the same rate the whole term, before taxes and fees. A 28-day CETES is renewed thirteen times a year and its rate changes at every auction.

What you learn here

Two numbers, always: what the account says at the end, and what that amount buys. Only the second one is your money.
The gap between a savings instrument near the reference rate and an account paying almost nothing is not small change — it is most of what your savings could have done.
Beating your bank is not the same as beating inflation. Both can happen at once, and so can neither.

Read the full lesson: 3 common mistakes when you start investing →

Educational tool. It assumes constant rates and ignores taxes, fees and any surprise; real returns and real inflation change every year. It is here to show the shape of the idea, not to plan your money with it, and it is not financial advice.